


secrets told

by noahczerns, pynch



Series: Lynch Brothers [4]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: M/M, brothers fighting like always, matthew gets sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2015-11-27
Packaged: 2018-05-03 16:03:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5297522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noahczerns/pseuds/noahczerns, https://archiveofourown.org/users/pynch/pseuds/pynch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Declan decides it's finally time to tell Matthew the truth; Ronan disagrees.</p>
            </blockquote>





	secrets told

There was nothing Matthew enjoyed more than returning home from school on a Friday knowing that he had the whole weekend ahead of him, a whole weekend to spend with his brothers. As usual, Declan had picked him up from his school and they enjoyed a pleasant ride home together singing along to whatever popular songs were on the radio. Neither of them really paid attention to the lyrics, all too focused on the company of the other. Matthew noticed that Declan’s enthusiasm was a little less than usual and he wondered what was bothering him, but he reasoned that it was probably school work or, as it was more often than not, Ronan. Matthew sighed. He ached to understand what had caused the rift between them, but then he would inevitably have to pick a side and he did not want to choose between his brothers. 

“You seem a bit out of it today, is something wrong?” Declan asked, only taking his eyes off the road briefly. This was so typically him; always asking what was the matter with others, but never telling what was the matter with him. 

Matthew pushed down the annoyance that he felt towards his brother in that moment. He reminded himself that it was the weekend, and they were supposed to have a good time. “No, I’m fine. I can tell there’s something the matter with you, though.” He rose a questioning brow at Declan, who rolled his eyes in response. Matthew couldn’t tell if he did it jokingly or if he was feeling annoyance towards his brother as well. 

“Maybe there is something the matter. Maybe it doesn’t concern you,” Declan paused, nibbling on his lower lip. Then he added, “For the moment.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Matthew could tell he regretted them. He tilted his head in confusion, trying to interpret the meaning behind them without having to ask. After a moment, when he still had no idea what the words were supposed to mean, he asked. 

“What do you mean ‘for the moment’?” Matthew racked his brains for all the possible things he could have done that would worry Declan, but nothing came to mind. He’d done all his homework, he had been attending all of his classes and as far as he could tell, he was in perfectly good health; there wasn’t anything else he could think of. Declan remained silent, staring straight ahead and avoiding Matthew’s gaze. “Dec, just tell me.” 

Declan seemed to deflate at the pleading tone he detected in Matthew’s voice, but shook his head nevertheless. “I can’t,” he said quietly, sternly. “Forget I said anything. Drop it.”

It wasn’t often that Declan was snappy with him, or used that tone of voice with him, and it surprised Matthew enough to stay quiet. He continued to stare at him as they drove along the winding Henrietta roads, trying to decipher the cause of the frown in his brow. Usually, he would pry until Declan gave in, but this time he could tell that something was seriously troubling him and he didn’t want to start a fight over it. Matthew blew out the breath he had been holding between his lips harshly, making them vibrate a little. 

“Fine. What are we going to do tonight? Movie, maybe?” Matthew asked, putting enough enthusiasm in the question with hopes of relieving the tension that was gradually building between them. He noticed Declan’s shoulders relax a little, his grip on the steering wheel loosening. Matthew bit back a smile. Somehow he always knew what to say to avoid an argument with Declan, and he wished that Ronan possessed the same ability. He hadn’t forgotten about the thing that Declan was refusing to tell him, he was just reserving it for a better time. 

Declan nodded, spreading his fingers out across the wheel. “Yeah, that sounds good. We can get ice-cream too, if you want.” He shot Matthew a small smile, knowing he would want to do exactly that. Then he sighed, quickly adding, “Later, though. I have to talk to Ronan.” 

The way he said it, Talk to Ronan, told Matthew it wasn’t up for discussion. He wasn’t allowed to ask why Declan wanted to talk to their brother, or what he was going to talk to him about. Declan didn’t have many rules, he didn’t normally tell Matthew he wasn’t allowed to do something, but when he did, Matthew always obeyed. So that’s why he kept his curiosity to himself and quietly stared out the window. The light music coming from the radio was completely forgotten by both boys now. Matthew wondered what Declan was thinking. He wondered if Declan planned to pick a fight with Ronan, or if he wanted to talk to him for a completely different reason. He desperately hoped it was the latter, but he still had doubts. It was about time his brothers got along. 

Once they pulled into the driveway to their dorm, he took the room key from Declan. “Coming?” he asked, opening the door. Declan told him he’d be up in a bit before grabbing his phone from his pocket. Matthew knew without asking that Ronan would be who Declan called, and that he wanted it to be private. With a small nod, he closed the door quietly before bounding up the steps. 

-

Declan watched Matthew run upstairs. He was surprised at how easy it was to get him to stop asking questions, but knew he shouldn’t have been that surprised. Matthew, unlike Ronan, listened to him. Sighing, he dialed Ronan’s number. It immediately went to voicemail, and Declan tried again. And again. He was expecting this, but still he let out a frustrated noise before he pulled up his contact information. Instead of calling him again, he sent a text. All it said was ‘Matthew’. Seconds later, his phone was ringing. Even with the distance between them, Declan and Ronan knew how to grab the other’s attention immediately. 

“Is he alright?” Ronan asked as soon as Declan answered, cutting through Declan’s greeting entirely. “If he’s fucking hurt, I swear to God I’ll rip out your throat.” The threat didn’t phase Declan, he merely rolled his eyes at the familiarity of it and waited until Ronan was finished cursing on the other end to speak. After all this time, he had learned it was best to let Ronan drone on until he had nothing else to say. 

“He’s fine.” Declan said, rubbing the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

“Then why’d you fucking call me?” Ronan spat. Declan suspected that if they had been face-to-face, he would have received a shower of saliva. 

“We have to talk. In person. About Matthew.” Declan knew this was a long shot as Ronan would never willingly agree to see him when he didn’t have to, but he had to try. He chewed on his bottom lip waiting for a response and thinking of all the possible ways he could persuade Ronan to come over. He could lie, say there was an emergency involving Matthew, but he knew that Ronan would leave as soon as he figured out there wasn’t anything wrong. He couldn’t think of anything else. 

On the other end, Ronan snarled. “I don’t want to see your face. Just talk to me while you fucking can. You have two minutes and then I’m hanging up.” The disinterest in his voice was clear, and Declan knew he would have to think of something fast. 

Declan eventually gave up with racking his brain for an easy lie. He would just tell Ronan the truth--or, part of it.“This isn’t something we can just talk about on the phone. It’s serious.” 

“ _Serious_.” Ronan mimicked in a high pitched voice, even though Declan’s was deeper than his. “How serious? Is it life and death? If not, I don’t care.” Declan sighed; why did he have to be so damn difficult? 

“It’s just _serious_ , okay? God.” Declan rubbed his temples, the longer he went without having contact with Ronan, the more he forgot how infuriating he could be. He closed his eyes and nestled further into the car seat. 

“Hey, don’t take the lord’s name in vain.” Laughter carried in his voice a little and it was obvious that he was enjoying hearing Declan grow more and more annoyed with him as the conversation went on. 

“You’re one to talk.” 

“Fuck off.” There was silence for few seconds, and Declan would have thought that Ronan had hung up on him if he couldn’t still hear his breathing on the other end. Declan was considering what he was about to say very carefully, trying to place the words in the perfect order that would convince Ronan to come to the dorm. Ronan sighed in what Declan would’ve guessed was defeat, but he knew better. “This thing you want to talk about. Why is it about Matthew?”

Declan remained quiet. It wouldn’t take long before Ronan pieced together what he wanted to talk about if he hadn’t already. When he heard a curse on the other end, he knew Ronan had eventually figured it out. 

“You’re always sticking your nose in where it isn’t wanted.” Ronan snapped. 

Declan had to concede that this was true, but he only did it because he cared and that, even though Ronan was an asshole, he still wanted the best for him. He wanted the best for both of his brothers. 

“If you’re not here in at least twenty minutes, I’m telling him. With or without you.” With that, he ended the call.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are welcome. :)


End file.
